Steve Bannon says he will ‘take down’ the ‘truly evil’ Elon Musk
President-elect Trump’s former adviser Steve Bannon has vowed to “take down” tech billionaire Elon Musk, calling him “truly evil.”
In an interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, highlighted by Mediaite, Bannon sharply criticized Musk, who was tapped by Trump to co-lead the “Department of Government Efficiency.”
“I will have Elon Musk run out of here by Inauguration Day,” Bannon said, adding “He is a truly evil guy, a very bad guy. I made it my personal thing to take this guy down.”
With Trump set to take office for the second time shortly, Musk’s influence in the next administration remains unclear.
Bannon criticized Musk over the continued debate over H-1B visas. Musk is supportive of the work program that allows the U.S. to attract international talent. Trump’s base, however, is not supportive of the program, fueling a fight over the topic.
Some say the visa attracts professional talent to the country while others say it allows employers to hire from outside the country and pay workers less than they would if they hired an American citizen.
Musk himself was once an H-1B visa holder, as he is from South Africa.
“This thing of the H-1B visas, it’s about the entire immigration system is gamed by the tech overlords, they use it to their advantage, the people are furious,” Bannon said.
He slammed Musk’s heritage, calling South Africans the most racist people on Earth.
“He should go back to South Africa,” Bannon said. “Why do we have South Africans, the most racist people on Earth, white South Africans, we have them making any comments at all on what goes on in the United States?”
Bannon continued to pile on the criticism, saying Musk has a maturity of a “little boy” and only has an interest in increasing his wealth.
The Hill has reached out to Musk for comment.